I can't seem to find the statistic now, but I once read that only 1 in 10 Americans can drive a manual transmission car these days. That might be accurate, since a stick shift recently stopped not one, not two, but three would-be thieves in Massachusetts.

MassLive reports that police in Springfield are searching for three men who robbed a delivery driver of his food order earlier this week and almost made off with his truck as well — were it not for their inability to operate a clutch and a stick.

The driver was out on a food run when he was rushed by three men, one of whom had a knife, the newspaper reports. They demanded his food and his car keys, but the ultimate theft deterrent shut them down, according to police Sgt. John Delaney.

"The trio jumped into his car and attempted to steal it, but not one of them knew how to drive a stick-shift car," he said.

Delaney said that after some arguing among themselves, they ran off down the street with the food.

The suspects remain at large, no doubt cruising around somewhere in their automatic-transmission cars.